The
furnishings in a modern bathroom don’t need a lot of fancy gimmicks to convey a
sense of luxury and ease. A level access shower, a shower toilet, a bathtub
with an ergonomically sloped back or fittings that work at the push of a
button, LED-illuminated mirror cabinets with storage space, optimal lighting
and circadian light that’s good for body and soul ... bathroom products have
never been as convenient as they are today. Finding a separate place for the
toilet or adding a guest toilet to keep the bathroom free of unpleasant odours
also helps the bathroom be perceived as a room in its own right. Today, 46% of
homes in Germany have a separate or guest toilet – a steep increase as compared
to 2011 (40%).

A lifetime of wellbeing in a Comfortable
Bathroom with individual solutions

Expectations
of the bathroom have increased – and will continue to do so. At the same time,
consumers no longer primarily define comfort in terms of traditional signs of
luxury like marble or exclusive designer fittings, but in terms of personalised
bathroom equipment and design. Because the Comfortable Bathroom is no longer
built for generations, but for the moment. For each individual user. 365 days a
year.

That
presents considerable challenges not just for those planning the bathroom but
for sanitaryware manufacturers too. Because in order to make their bathroom a
pleasure to spend time in, users don’t only demand modern bathroom equipment
and high-tech features for hydrotherapy treatments, the toilet or the lighting
systems. They want an ergonomic and customisable design for the furniture,
materials and stylistic elements as well so that they can accomplish the ideal
of a Comfortable Bathroom, a space that they identify with just as much as
their living room. Because let’s be honest: a cool, standardised atmosphere
isn’t the best setting for grooming, primping and relaxing. Tomorrow’s bathroom
is comfortable, ergonomic, safe and inviting.

The Comfortable Bathroom makes life easier – at
any age

Somebody
once figured out that we spend about three years of our lives on the toilet.
That’s not as long as we spend in bed, but still long enough to illustrate how
deeply even basic hygiene is embedded in our everyday routines. So what about
the kind of activities that are becoming increasingly important in modern
bathroom culture?

The desire
for a space that’s a pleasure to spend time in plays a crucial role in the
design of the bathroom. Health and body consciousness, the desire to indulge in
grooming, styling and fitness, as well as to incorporate quality time into
everyday life wherever possible, are upgrading the bathroom to the status of
fully fledged living space. Individually adjustable procedures and sensor-controlled
lighting are a help in any life situation. Today, a comfortable and convenient
bathroom is regarded as an investment in health, regeneration and continued
independence in old age.

Ergonomics are key to a Comfortable Bathroom

If we want
to feel comfortable in a certain place, we make it feel like home – by
surrounding ourselves with things we like and high-quality, well
thought-through equipment and furnishings. Today, that applies just as much to
the bathroom as it does to the rest of the home. But in this case, there are
certain things to consider that don’t play quite such a big a role in the
living room: technology, storage space, the suitability of the materials and,
above all, ergonomics.

When it
comes to the user’s size, for instance, any bathroom can be tailored to
individual wants and needs nowadays. And as society changes sanitaryware is
changing too, and offering products like toilets specially made for people with
high body weights. Adjustable or adaptable installation heights and flexible
systems can meet the needs of various users in one and the same bathroom or
accommodate changing requirements as the users age.

Ergonomics are key to a Comfortable Bathroom

But there’s
more to ergonomics than shaping things to suit the body. Personalised solutions
for the shower, toilet and vanity unit play an important role as well. Even
creating storage space – a perfectly straightforward exercise in the living
room – calls for a lot more attention to detail in the humid setting of the
bathroom. All the same, virtually anything is possible these days. Thanks to
sophisticated industrial processes, even ceramic washbasins can be produced “by
the metre” and sized to order – with contoured and glazed edges all the way
round.

Comprehensive
furniture systems that permit just as many configurations as cabinet ranges for
other areas of the home are available for the bathroom too – and can be adapted
to suit both individual body sizes and the specific space situation. Besides
meticulously manufactured bathroom furnishings with water-resistant finishes,
there are even hardwearing solid wood options as well. And when it comes to
technology, the revolutionary developments of recent years have led to
individual shower programmes, the linking of light and water, surfaces for
multimedia displays and a new standard of hygiene as a result of things like
sensor-controlled fittings and shower toilets.